Since 1996, Hadag Nahash has combined fresh hip hop, rock, reggae and funk, bringing together tight grooves with a Middle Eastern flavor and catapulting them to the top of the Israeli hip-hop scene. Their songs promote equality and civil rights, and are a soundtrack to the local struggle against racism and corruption. They are especially known for their activity in the “One Shekel Festival”, aimed at bridging cultural gaps, and founded by band member Shaanan Street some nine years ago.
San Francisco based izzy*wise aka Isaac Weiser first started performing music in his Dad’s Klezmer band as a teenager. As the multi instrumentalist began learning new instruments and collecting records, so came the influx of different styles and cultures of music. Having played in many bands performing reggae, afrobeat, funk, rock, hip hop, klezmer, drum n bass, and latin styles this versatile performer began producing his own music and djing in 2007. Combining his knowledge of multiple instruments, sound reinforcement, and his love of mixing music from different cultures, we now have the electro world dub mashup that is izzy*wise’s music.
MC Rai is a native North African musician born in southern Tunisia, a place known for poetry, groovy African beats, and traditional Chaabi folk music. Turning to neighboring Algerian Rai music marked the beginning of his genre-blending style that has become the signature of his career. After moving to the United States in 2000, MC Rai fused sounds from the West with his deep-rooted Eastern culture. He gained attention from North American audiences for his infectious voice, fiery stage presence, and multi-cultural lyrics.
Eastman School of Music graduate Morgan Nilsen studied clarinet with New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra’s former principal clarinetist Jon Manasse and Ethnomusicology with Jewish Music specialist Dr. Ellen Koskoff. After serving as music director of a touring Klezmer band for 1 1/2 years, Nilsen moved to SF where she delved into Arabic music with the Aswat Music Ensemble, and was Zambaleta World Music School’s first Music Programs Coordinator. Nilsen plays clarinet with Balkan Brass Band Inspector Gadje, the Klezmenco-Hop band Cradle Duende, and teaches private lessons.
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